Vascular Care for the Underserved Project Grants

Sponsored by SVS Foundation

Submission deadline: August 1, 2025

The SVS Foundation Vascular Care for the Underserved (VC4U) Project Grants support initiatives designed to explore solutions to the significant disparities in vascular surgery care delivery across the United States.

The SVS Foundation in partnership with the SVS Women’s Section is pleased to announce a grant opportunity focused on Women’s Vascular Health Research. This $20,000 grant will fund research that addresses the unique vascular health needs of women and combats the longstanding exclusion of women from vascular research and clinical trials.

This grant will support innovative projects that explore gender-specific differences in vascular disease, advance equitable care, and ensure that research reflects the realities of women’s health, including: 

  • Improving access to vascular care for underserved women – Supporting initiatives that increase access to vascular screenings, diagnostics, and treatment for women in historically underserved communities, addressing disparities in early detection and intervention.
  • Enhancing inclusion of women patients in vascular research – Expanding patient participation by ensuring that women, particularly those from underserved backgrounds, are adequately represented in vascular research, leading to more equitable health outcomes.
  • Developing gender-specific interventions for vascular disease – Advancing research on the unique presentation and progression of vascular disease in women, leading to targeted treatment strategies and improved patient care.

Ideal proposals will describe a multidisciplinary approach to address some or all of the following goals:

  • Define the underserved community your project is targeted to benefit
  • Define the degree of disparity in that community with respect to vascular health care access and delivery and disease outcomes
  • Identify and assist local providers and other service organizations with addressing significant gaps in knowledge, clinical examination methods, point of care diagnostics, and other determinants of vascular health and disease
  • Identify and empower patients with improved knowledge about risk factors and early signs of vascular disease and the available vascular care resources in their community
  • Develop solutions to address the barriers to vascular health care that are actionable, scalable, and sustainable

Funding

$20,000 will be awarded for direct costs for a one-year project period. The grant does not support office construction or clinic enhancement projects, practice marketing initiatives, salary or honoraria, overhead expenses, or major capital budget items. The SVS Foundation does not support indirect costs.

Eligibility

The Applicant must be an SVS Active Member, SVS Early Active Member or a Society for Vascular Nursing Active member. Vascular trainees, fellows, residents and medical students are not eligible.

The SVS Foundation is invested in a process that assures diversity, equity, and inclusion for our award and scholarship opportunities. We encourage eligible applicants from all aspects of gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity to apply.

Application Process

The submission deadline is August 1, 2025. Decisions regarding the grant will be sent to applicants in September. The SVS Research Council and members of the SVS Women's Section will review applications.

An application must be completed and the following materials in PDF format must be uploaded via the online application submission site (opening soon). Applications may be rejected if formatting requirements are not followed, or the application is incomplete.

  1. Applicant information:
    • Applicant name and contact information
    • Institution
    • Project title
  2. Curriculum Vitae or NIH biosketch
     
  3. Applicant Statement, Project Proposal and Budget - Not to exceed 8 pages total
    • 1 page - Statement outlining applicant's practice setting and relationship to the community being studied, including delineation of prior experience with community-based projects.
    • 3-5 pages - Project Proposal including:
      • Problem being addressed/community to be served/specific aims
      • Statement of innovation and impact
      • Project timeline
      • Resources needed
      • Available expertise and resources
      • Connection with community healthcare providers
      • Methods to measure project success and attainment of stated goals
      • Future plans/sustainability
    • 1-2 pages - Budget and budget justification
      • Itemized expenses
      • Budget justification
      • List of any other funds already secured or applied for
  4. Additional documents
    • Any letter(s) of support from institutional leadership, collaborators, and community partners 

Reporting Requirements

At project completion, the awardee must submit a report to the SVS Foundation detailing outcomes, including relevant results, stories, photos, and materials that highlight the project's impact.

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